The One He Claimed by Cooper novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Voting
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Chapter 61: Voting
Sophie
I knew Hunter was going to have to prove his point about my trust of him. I knew he wouldn’t do anything to betray that trust, but it was still really hard for me to submit to him in this room. full of Alphas and then not to flinch when I felt his canines entered my neck.
‘I love you.’ His words had floated into my head as Shaw had put just enough venom into my body to make me shiver. Now I’m f**g aroused and ready to get out of here so I can show my mate just how s**y I think he is.
Instead, I have to focus. It’s time for the vote. If they vote in our favor, we walk out. If not, it’s war. I don’t know much about wars, but I’d image that war would start now.
“You haven’t explained what a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote means,” Dutton says, watching me closely. I had felt all their eyes on me, every one of them. But not all of them had been lecherous. In Alpha Kayce’s case, it feels like he’s ready to get the hell out of here so he can start his relationship with Allison. The feeling I’m getting from Robin is similar. Dutton, though, is hard to read. However, Hunter said he trusts him, and I trust Hunter.
“A vote of yes means you agree with removing Alpha Hunter as Alpha. A vote of no means that you agree that he should retain his title. A majority of votes are needed to remove Alpha Hunter’s title.”
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Dutton’s eyes move from me to Hunter.
“No,” he votes, and I sigh.
“Alpha Carter.”
“No,” my father says almost before Alpha Elias finishes saying
his name.
“Alpha Kayce?”
“No.”
“Alpha Robin?”
“No.”
“Alpha Ezra?”
He looks at me a moment. “No.”
“Alpha Calvin?”
Calvin looks at me for a very long time. Long enough that everyone in the room turns to look at him, including Amelia. I can feel my heart rate speeding up. Without him, we’ll never have the numbers to win.
“No.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Now for the right side. I expect every one of them will vote to remove Hunter’s title, but that will still be a tie.
“I vote yes,” Elias says, before turning to the other side of the
room.
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“Alpha Joshua?”
“Yes.”
“Alpha Aiden?”
“Yes.”
“Alpha Alaric?”
“Yes,” he growls, curling his lip in a snarl at Hunter.
“Alpha Zahn?”
He glares at me. “Yes.”
I don’t know why I feel the need to antagonize this man, but I do. So, I very subtly shrug at him as if his vote doesn’t matter to me at all. As if his vote is nothing. I watch as his glare turns to a snarl, only stopping when Hunter gives him a warning growl.
“Alpha Owen?”
Owen looks smug. I’m not sure why. There will be no majority and Hunter said a majority of the vote is required to make a change. Hunter is an Alpha, so Owen’s ‘yes’ vote won’t change anything.
He stares at Hunter, smiling an even broader smile.
“No,” he says finally, and I jolt with the shock of it. The others around him turn to him, murmuring their own shock but Owen’s eyes remain on Hunter.
‘He’s going to come up in front of the committee for what he did to Brooklyn. He thinks this is going to ensure my vote,’ Hunter
says in our mind link.
That b**d. My fists clench with my need to punch the smug look off of his face. He must feel my eyes on him because he finally looks away from Hunter to look at me. Then, the arrogant. b**d winks.
“If that will be all…” Hunter says and reaches down to take my hand. Alpha Kayce is already starting to stand when Elias looks
at us.
“Actually, that is not all, Alpha Hunter. Another matter has been brought to the attention of this Committee. You are housing ranked she-wolves that are not from your pack, some of them are underage,” he says, and he can’t hide the smirk. Hunter may have won the vote, he may have avoided a war to maintain his title, but these Alphas want a war and they’ve found another way to get one.
“I have provided sanctuary to those who have requested it. Age does not matter. If a wolf, any wolf, is in trouble and asks for the aid of an Alpha, it is at the Alpha’s discretion to provide such aid,” he says, as if quoting a law.
“Yes, that is the law, Alpha Hunter, but Alpha Alaric has petitioned this court to intervene. His sister, an Alpha, is me**y deranged and is in need of medical attention,” Elias
says.
Alpha Robin growls a low, warning growl, making Alaric smile.
“It has also been brought to the attention of this court that you are refusing to allow other Alphas to claim their mates properly, hiding them away from all but only a few of your select friends,” Elias growls, glaring over at Kayce, Dutton, and Robin.
Chapter 61: Voting
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“You will return these she-wolves to their families…”
“I will not,” Hunter says firmly. “They have asked for my protection, and I will give it to them even if it means protection from their fathers and brothers, or their previous Alphas,” he says, looking at the right side of the room. “I do not allow public claimings in my pack. So, if I have a visiting Alpha, and that Alpha is spending time with a ranked she-wolf who is under my protection, it is at the discretion of the she-wolf, not the Alpha. If anyone were to go against my wishes, well, that would be an attack against me and my pack, wouldn’t it,” Hunter says, glaring at Alpha Alaric.
“You kept me from claiming those twins!” Alpha Aiden says, standing and panting furiously.
“I kept you off my pack lands. They requested my assistance, and I gave it to them. I would never expect you to a**e by my rules, Aiden, so no. You are not welcome on my pack lands.”
“This. Is. WAR!” he roars.
“As if you, Alaric, and Owen weren’t already planning that, regardless of the outcome of this meeting. I’m not st**d and I don, underestimate the situation I’ve put myself and my pack in. They are aware and they have chosen to stay and fight for what is right.”
“How will you stand against three packs at once, Hunter? Is it worth it, to die for them?” Aiden asks.
Before he has a chance to answer, Robin steps in,
“You should be very careful, Aiden. Alpha Hunter already warned you about leaving your pack unprotected. If you are off fighting
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Chapter 61 Voting
a war with Hunter, who’s watching your pack?”
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“It wouldn’t be hard at all for, say, a neighboring Alpha to just walk in and take over, would it, Robin?” Kayce asks, as if they are having a simple conversation
The room erupts into arguing, words slinging across the room. all around me. The more I hear, the angrier I’m getting. These men, these Alphas, acting as if they have a right to decide the fate of women, as if we’re incapable of deciding for ourselves. what we want.
“Enough!” I shout with enough Alpha aura to make the room stop and look at me.